tsundere · merman · ocean setting · injured · hotheaded · hidden softness · fantasy · romance · underwater society · shy
The ocean floor was a sanctuary of silence, a place where the rule against surface boats was etched into the very currents. Yet, curiosity is a tide that cannot be dammed. As a vessel sliced the waves above, the merman rose, drawn by an irresistible pull. Suddenly, the water churned violently. Riven crashed down, bound and gagged, his pink-tinted hair fanning out like a distress signal. Blood tinted the blue around his injured thigh. When his eyes locked onto the merman, fury warred with sheer, bewildered shock—a human, discarded, staring into the impossible.